Juris-Advocate-General

"We have always been feared, but we used to be respected. Now all we are is vaguely dirty, a sense of unease on those upon which our gaze falls upon too long."

— Testimony of ex-Juris-Advocate General to the Meritocracy Council.

"Welcome, Leo, thank you for coming!"

"Of course I had to come! No black navy sailor would refuse the invitation of the Whiskey-Admiral!"

"Oh, I'll not be that for much longer..."

"What? They plan to bench you?"

"No, no, promotion my friend."

"Promotion? To what?"

"Joint-Juris-Advocate-General of the Terran Meritocracy Armed Forces."

"Never figured why they needed that? Each branch having their own JAG is enough, isn't it?"

"No, not by a parsec!"

"But especially you, don't you miss the stars?"

"Ah, but that's the joy of it. We're on several planets, someone has to tour the whole thing and make sure there's no festering resentments, no hidden nests of saboteurs. And especially, no us-against-them parallel kangaroo courts!"

"But this is a political post, the politicians are sure to call you back..."

"Oh, yes, but I helped set the schedule, before I even accepted the post... My first chief didn't teach no dummy!"

"Ah, so you're going to tour the whole place?"

"Nine month trip, see every single major planet we have."

"How'd you do it?"

"I'm officially accompanying the Solarian Ambassador and retinue."

"The Solar Ambassador? He's not a myth?" Leo had met that particular individual, the dislike was mutual, but this probably meant Leo was coming with...

"No, he's no myth."

"And why bother with such an escort?"

"Oh, I'm dirty now, my masters are hoping the shine will rub off them, and onto my humble person."

"There's bound to be more to it than that..."

"Yeah, and that's where you come in..."

"Oh?" Leo was suddenly interested, his body language shifting from slouch to sitting ramrod straight.

"Your mob, you're doing quite well for a bunch of military police... Marj just can't stop singing your praises, even from retirement."

"Juris Advocate Marine is too kind.

"And you've met the ambassador. I'm classified high enough to know that for a fact, trying to fool me? Shame on you son!"

"Errr, sorry Admiral."

"Come now, what's the issue there? He's a deserter?"

"No Sir, never enlisted, snagged by the civilians out of military school, him and her both." Leo grit his teeth, he was talking, talking about personal matters, to a superior, that was trouble.

"So what's your beef? He's from over there..."

"But she's not... We... have a history." He was biting the words out, one at a time.

"Who's this 'she'?"

"Five-spark Wraith, Sir, the Naval Attaché to their embassy."

"What, why bother with a military attaché if he's military-trained?"

"I suspect so we'll underestimate him sir, I doubt just anyone will get the story of how they met in military school out of them that didn't know her personally before."

"Hmm, that's good intel, Leo. Any idea how much they trust you?"

"I'd like to think Rachel, er, the attaché trusts me, Sir. No opinion on the ambassador."

He was blatantly lying, but the Joint-Juris said nothing about it. "She's gotten between the two of you, hasn't she?" he considered saying, but left it for a different circumstance, preferrably someplace very informal, that Leo was in love with her was painfully obvious. "Your new duty includes keeping them both alive, him in priority, but both over even me, do you have a problem with that?"

"Sir! No Sir!" He saluted, a crisp, parade-ground move.

"Good, because I have quite a job of cleanup here, I have to fix people's perceptions of what a Juris does..."

"They know..."

"What?"

"The ambassador mentioned one of the 'controlled' topics."

"You're shitting me." The coarse language from a flag officer all but guaranteed honesty from Leo at this point.

"No, I wish I was. But then, they're in a far better position to ask better questions than any ambassador before them."

"Why do you say that?"

"Rachel's vat-born, her mother's a true expression genemix from Peace and Red."

"And her?"

"She's half-terran, but vat-born. Someone pulled an awful lot of strings for that. But I saw the barcode myself."

"And I'm supposed to clean up this mess? Can you even look her into the eyes Leo?"

"She makes me flinch, sometimes... But I can get my eyes up."

"Thanks for the honesty, she's what, two thirds your weight, and a head shorter?"

"No, she's a bit heavier and taller than that, but yes, she's smaller and lighter, but not where it matters. And she has the spirit and demeanor of a Gene-warden herself."

Career

Qualifications

To be a Juris-Advocate:

Member in good standing of the bar on Thallax

Member in good standing of the military armed forces commissioned officer corps

To reach Juris-Advocate General:

Member in good standing of the military armed forces commissioned officer corps, to at least regimental level, but most long term appointees have achieved Flag rank.

Be nominated for the position by Supreme Commander of the Terran Meritocracy Forces

Be confirmed by the Hierarch of the Terran Meritocracy, the parliament, or the High Gene-Wardens.

To reach Joint-Juris-Advocate General:

Be confirmed by the Hierarch of the Terran Meritocracy.

Career Progression

All units of division size or greater(1000 combat-effective personnel, so not including support, logistics, etc), have their own directorate of legal affairs. A Juris-Advocate is a member of the military with legal ability to represent in military court another member of the military.

Personnel just entering the military with their legal degree are often assigned to a directorate with vacancies as paralegals, with a commission no higher than three sparks(lt.cmdr.). They are assisted by civilian paralegals depending on case load.

Personnel who do well in this are assigned assistant-prosecutor duties, and a fourth spark(cmdr.)

The singular most senior and able assistant-prosecutor becomes prosecutor after being confirmed, and becomes acting-Juris-Advocate-General for the division.

The best of such are elevated to the parent units of their division, and replaced by the next more able and senior, and so on and so forth. Those are the only ones who can be chosen to judge cases, and not of their own units, or parent units, without a special dispensation from the Gene-Wardens.

The seniormost, most effective, most well-thought of member of a service becomes Juris-Advocate-General, the first time the position is not 'acting'.

The seniormost Juris-Advocate-General(or equivalent rank, since the Navy post is called Whiskey-Admiral for historical reasons), becomes Joint-Juris-Advocate-General, the seniormost practitioner of law in the Terran Military forces.

Payment & Reimbursement

All Juris-Advocate divisions carry equivalent pay as other commissioned officers, plus up to 25% discretionary bonus as decided by their commanding officer.

Operations

Dangers & Hazards

A negative benefit, or disadvantage, of the position is that a Juris-Advocate-Division officer acting as a prosector is considered to be speaking for the Navy in that context, and binds the Navy to his words and actions.

Type

Military

Famous in the Field

• Thufir

Used By

• Terran Meritocracy Armed Forces

Ranks & Titles

• Juris
• Your Honour